Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: The Victory of Scipio
Medium
Engraving; second state
Dimensions
plate: 8 9/16 x 10 in. (21.8 x 25.4 cm) sheet: 19 x 13 3/16 in. (48.3 x 33.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.72(2.134)
Tags
Art Historical Context
### Speculum Romanae Magnificent: The Victory of Sc This dynamic 16th-century engraving the triumphant Victory of Scipio Africanus, the Roman general famed for defeating Hannibal at Zama in 202 BCE, ending the Second Punic War. Part of Antonio Lafreri's renowned *Speculum Romanaeificentiae*—a lavish anthology of prints celebrating ancient Rome's grandeur—this image evokes the epic clashes of antiquity through vivid scenes of soldiers, horses charging into battle, fortified walls, and gleaming weapons. Lafreri, a pioneering publisher, compiled these works to fuel the Renaissance fascination wi...
About the Artist
Master of the Die|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)|Antonio Lafreri · 1525–1560
**Master of the Die** (fl. 1525–1560) was an anonymous Italian engraver and printmaker active primarily in Rome during the mid-16th century. Named for the distinctive small die he used to sign his prints—a tiny emblematic mark that became his moniker—this elusive artist remains unidentified despite scholarly proposals linking him to figures like Benedetto Verino, Giovanni Francesco Zabello, Tommas...